Rainbow Chasers and Ghost Towns - Paperback

by John H. Fillmore (Author)

Spread across the American West are hundreds of ghost towns. Most of these settlements arose rapidly during the frontier days with the discovery of gold or silver, attracting thousands of men and women - the rainbow chasers - before they faded away when the valuable ores were exhausted. Rainbow Chasers & Ghost Towns is the story of a handful of those places and the people who lived in them. With old photographs depicting the towns in their heyday, and diaries and letters documenting the lifestyles of their residents, the book explores the birth and demise of mining towns from Wyoming to California, and the frontier experiences of the people, from prospectors to prostitutes.

Author Biography

Author Fillmore's interest in ghost towns began more than thirty years ago. He traveled extensively throughout the western states in the 1980s and '90s documenting what was left of the towns through his hobby of photography. Realizing that vandalism and natural decay were taking a heavy toll on their remains, he followed up this effort by researching old photographs, letters, and diaries in museums, archives, and private collections across the country in an attempt to preserve a few of these places through an illustrated history. Fillmore obtained his bachelor's degree at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln, and his master's degree in education at Wilmington University. He currently resides in Delaware.